Cycling UK Forum

I'm more concerned about whacking it on a rock when I'm not towing... which I fear will be the case looking at it.

Thanks for the info.

Can I ask how obtrusive people find an axle mount when it's not being used? Indeed, how exactly these things attach?

Cheers.

hubgearfreak wrote:personally, i;d search ebay for an old PO bike. 3 gears, drum brakes, designed to take abuse and parcels.

Yes indeed but the hills are FAR too steep... I'm in rural North Wales... triples are king around here

GrahamNR17 wrote:My experience of trailers is that the kind that attach to the seat post really affect handling. However, if all your parcels are light weight, then you probably won't notice.

I suspected as much to be honest although my parcels are quite lightweight, just having lots of them gets a bit bulky.

I was trying to avoid axle mounts though so I don't even up with a "sticky out thing" off my back wheel when I want to just zoom off on my mountain bike... easy to whack into a rock. Yeah, I know I could take it off when I'm not towing, but I'm really looking for something that's not going to require me to take a bracket on and off my bike all the time.

Looking them up now... they don't seem TOO expensive so I'll have a proper looksie.

You can at least get spare wheels for the Amazon one... I've not looked much further than that yet.

I run a mail order business from home and my local Post Office sadly closed down.
So I now have to get on the bike to take the mail most days... not a bad thing really

My new destination is only a couple of miles, downhill all the way there and therefore uphill on the way back (but at least that's AFTER I've dropped the mail off).

Anyhoo, I'm getting a little overloaded with backpacks etc and I'm thinking of getting a cargo trailer for the job.
I usually go down on my mountain bike rather than my road bike so I can take a few offroad short cuts (nothing major!). Panniers aren't an option on my mountain bike and I think they wouldn't really be big enough anyway.

So...
1 - I want to keep the budget down as it's only to "nip" to the post office... or would it be false economy?
2 - It really needs to be quick to attach/unattach... I'm guessing something that connects to the seat post would be ideal. It would be handy to be able to switch the road bike should the mood take me.
3 - It will need to handle light offroad bobbling about

All suggestions and tips very very welcome. I'm thinking along these lines at the moment...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001OC6CCS/001OC6CCS

Thanks in advance.

Jonty wrote:I like them because they make me taller.

LOL. True! I've gone from 5'6 to 5'6 and a 1/4!

Edwards wrote:If walking on a rough track check for small stones and mud getting trapped in the cleat. Can give a horrible surprise in unable to clip in or worse unclip.

Yeah that is also a concern and actually I did order some rubber cleat covers in the end to keep the mud and small stones out when walking down the track to the road.

The Mechanic wrote:If your (shimano) cleats are painted black it is because they are single release cleats. The multi release cleats are silver. That is why they are painted a different colour, to differentiate one from the other.

Aha!

I've got these...
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=35524
... and the sole is pretty chunky. I'd read a couple of reviews that said they didn't click... but click they do.

Cheers guys my mind is at rest

Put it this way, replacement cleats (Wellgos) I can eBay for £5.99... the rubber covers are £9.99 and probably would wear down pretty fast anyway.

Yeah I accept that's generally how it is (why oh why did they bother painting them black?).
I just fear my more unusual situation of living on such a rough track will be a bit much.
I have seen you can get rubber covers I can clip off when I'm ready to ride but I dunno if that's a bit OTT.

I've just got a pair of a shiny pair of new SPD pedals and cleats with some "trainer" style cycling shoes.
Even though SPDs are recessed, I did expect some contact with the floor when I'm walking and indeed they do.
So the question is, how much damage to the cleats am I doing when I'm walking?
I have to walk to the end of an off road / rocky track from my house to the tarmac road for example every time I go anywhere on the bike... am I going to overly damage the cleats or is this just accepted wear and tear?

Here's my thoughts...
The problem an LBS has is the ability to hold the stock. The big mail order players buy big and have huge warehouses to store it all in.
The LBS therefore finds it hard to compete with choice (and generally concentrates or 2 or 3 preferred brands) and indeed price as they don't have the same buying power as the big online players.

What they can offer is friendly service and knowledge and if you don't like getting your hands dirty, a place to get your maintenance and servicing done.
Plus you can try before you buy (although these days some of the big players are letting you try out bikes for a month and send them back if you're not happy to combat this).

Some LBS are starting to sell online but they still don't hold the stock and choice the big boys do and the sites tend to be less user friendly and up to date, often based on a "shop in a box" website. They're trying to "keep up" as it were but IMO they should rather stick to their strengths rather than trying to compete online.

In my experience though, that tends to mean I'll use the LBS for "bits" and servicing, but when I spend any serious money it's generally online.
I bought my MTB online... fantastic price... great bike... but it had to go back twice... so I had to tank it up the motorway twice and wait why it was fiddled with. I then upgraded the brakes via a LBS who gave me a great price and free fitting... again I had to go back for a tweak... but it was a 10 minute ride away and all was well. I confess though that was largely orchestrated by the fact my LBS was a main dealer for the brand in question. Had I wanted a different product, I would have been forced to buy online.

Then there's quality assurance. I recently order 2 tyres from Wiggle. One of them had 2 big "growths" on the side, obviously a molding fault so they had to go back. That's a lot of faffing around just for 2 tyres. So they've gone back and I intend to go to the LBS. But I bet it will cost me in comparison to a 1/2 price deal from Wiggle BUT the tyre will be in my hand... and if there's a problem I'll just pick up another one.

I think the Edinburgh Bicycle Coop And Merlin are my favourite "middle ground" companies (if you're in the right area).
Not always the cheapest but good advice and down to earth if you visit. My LBS' are hit and miss... one ok for knowledge and servicing but useless on stock... another a great roadie shop (Graham Weigh)... and the online big boys, well I'm giving up on Wiggle, so I tend to use ChainReaction for MTB stuff and Graham Weigh LBS for roadie stuff. Probably as I have more knowledge of the MTB side of things so I'm more confident in tinkering.

Is there a point to this rant? I'm beginning to wonder myself
Seriously, I think the LBS and mail order giants tend to offer a different service and it depends on what you're buying and your personal knowledge in the product as to which is best. There's certainly a place for both and I'd hate to see the LBS start to phase out but certainly in my area there are more opening than closing so they must be doing something right!

Ah yes Powergrips. I have seriously considered them (and Sylvyans).

I think however I'm just going to get some clipless and give it a go... nothing ventured and all that.
If I don't take to them I probably will go to Powergrips but I think I'd better give clipless a go and see for myself (single sided/platform).

Now shoes... shoes... shoes... there's the REAL expense in all this

PBA wrote:I have a pair of Shimano Flat/SPD pedals (530). I find the flat side really slipery and difficult to use. It means I use that bike more often with the proper shoes. My other bike has Welgo flat/SPD pedals - can't remember the type, but they are of the fabricated cage type and provide much better grip.

These??
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/wellgo-wpd982-spd-pedals/
They seem quite good value and agree look like they have good grip.

I also came across these... less grippy but still look like more than the Shimano 530s as they have some raised studs...
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=52885

Has anyone much experience of either of these when clipping in and out? i.e. Are they as easy and adjustable as the Shimanos?
The Wellgo WPD reviews on Wiggle have quite a few niggles about hacking your shoes a bit to get them to fit well... not something I'd want with my first pair.

Thanks all for the replies anyway... it seems, as suspected, there are strong arguments for flats, clips and clipless. I guess the only way I'll decide for sure is to spend a few of those well earned pounds and see how I get on.